This is one soccer team with one collective goal in mind: A state title.

Although senior forward Austin Tausch has received much of the spotlight for Southwest by scoring the bulk of his team’s goals, the Stallions have a team-first mentality that has carried the Stallions to their first state final in program history.

Southwest (13-2-2) will play Lake Norman Charter (19-3) today at 2:05 p.m. in the NCHSAA 1-A championship game at the Dail Soccer Stadium at N.C. State University.

“I’m sure from looking at their results they are a quality side and it will take our best effort on Saturday,” Southwest coach John Sweeney said. “This is high school soccer and we don’t have detailed statistical breakdowns of our opponents. So the focus needs to be doing what we do well and if we accomplish the things we want to accomplish, hopefully that’s enough.”

What the Stallions have done this season — particularly in the postseason — is control the midfield, pressure well and simply play hard. And give the ball to Tausch, who leads the team in scoring with 25 goals.

But, as Tausch pointed out, “numbers can be deceiving.”

“I score a lot of goals,” he said, “but every kid on this team has the potential to score a lot of goals.”

That could be true, but other players have contributed in other ways, making them just as valuable, despite the statistics showing otherwise. Whether it is to play good defense, make a key save, control the middle, push the ball forward or even pitch in with a goal, each player understands his role.

“That’s exactly been the key,” senior goalkeeper Nick Matics said. “Everyone does what they are supposed to do and doesn’t try to do too much. We play simple and that’s why we have been winning games.”

Often teams with one player doing most of the scoring lose sight of the task at hand and create animosity because they aren’t getting theirs. Not in this case. Egos are set aside by all the players for the better of the team, Sweeney said.

“We have a lot of great players and we have a depth of talent on this team, but we have guys who are going to do their job regardless of what they want and regardless of the circumstances of the match,” Sweeney said.

“I don’t hear kids complaining, and I don’t hear kids talk about they want a position that might earn them a few extra mentions in the newspaper. I hear guys talk about how they want to do what it takes to help the team win.”

Sweeney not only hears that, he sees it, too, pointing to an example in Southwest’s 2-0 East regional semifinal win at Wallace-Rose Hill last Saturday.

“We were up 1-0 and Noah Tausch crossed a ball in and Kevin Hounshell was there waiting. That’s his job,” Sweeney said. “It might be 50 times a game he makes that run and it doesn’t make a difference, but he knows his job is to make this run because there’s going to be one time when it matters.”

And when players like Hounshell, a sophomore, and Noah Tausch, a freshman, contribute like that, it makes it easier for Austin Tausch to give opponents fits.

“If a defender sees someone else scoring they’re like, ‘Oh, we need to get on this guy,’ instead of staying on me the whole game,” Austin Tausch said. “If you mark three people on me, that means two of our players are wide open.”

Tausch did score twice in the Stallions’ 4-1 win over Franklin Academy in the East Regional final, but Southwest got a goal each from sophomore Jamaal Respus and senior Markkel Bannerman.

Just another sign the Stallions aren’t one-dimensional.

“We have guys like Kevin who has an unbelievable motor and who will go for 80 minutes all out, and Jamaal, who is such an attack-minded player, is strong and fast and who will frustrate the defense with his work ethic,” Sweeney said. “And Markkel is that fly that drives teams nuts with his work ethic because he’s always in their face and is always poking balls away and starting a counter attack.”

Then there’s sophomore Paul Bishop.

“I know Paul works hard in the midfield and he wins the ball for us,” Tausch said. “He usually distributes it well and finds someone’s feet. Kevin and Alex Blake get up in the attack. A lot of people don’t get the credit they should.”

But heading into the final, the Stallions are confident and each player is ready to do his part.

“We definitely weren’t as good (early in the season) as we are now,” said Blake, a junior defender. “Every game we have gotten better and better.”

And the Stallions hope that continues for one more game.

“Any player on this team, I can point to something that guy and only that guy can bring to the mix,” Sweeney said. “That’s why I believe all 22 of them have been vital for us.”